[Tyrian]

I seem to have found myself in a position with nothing to do.  As a result, I'm looking for some decent PC games to go with my new computer.  My machine is pretty much state of the art, so specifications aren't really an issue.  The problem is that where I live the selection is terrible.  Anyone have any good suggestions?  (Steam titles preferred, but not required.)

[Colonol Dekker]

All the wing commanders.
 
Also pong.

[General Battuta]

I seem to have found myself in a position with nothing to do.  As a result, I'm looking for some decent PC games to go with my new computer.  My machine is pretty much state of the art, so specifications aren't really an issue.  The problem is that where I live the selection is terrible.  Anyone have any good suggestions?  (Steam titles preferred, but not required.)

STALKER has been lovely, especially with community mods.

[Demitri]

Newest game i have is Batman: Arkham Asylum which is pretty damn good. Empire: Total War is on steam as well.

[CP5670]

I would like some new games too. The best games I've played recently have actually been various mods (TNM for Deus Ex and The Ball for UT3), along with a few indie titles like World of Goo.

Borderlands looks interesting, especially as it's one of the few modern PC games to have a co-op mode. I have heard good things about NFS: Shift as well.

STALKER has been lovely, especially with community mods.

I couldn't get into the sequel, Clear Sky. I like the FPS/RPG aspect of it and the nonlinear game world, but the story is confusing and the combat is not well designed. The combat mechanics seem like they're meant for a stealth/sniping game like Far Cry, but your aim sucks and it's almost impossible to hide from enemies. The game also has a rough, unpolished feel to it in general, although I could have ignored that if it was fun.

Is the original Stalker similar? What mods improve it?

[General Battuta]

Oh, I agree, Clear Sky sucks. The consensus amongst reviewers is that Shadow of Chernobyl was a lot better. You will have to get used to the realistic ballistics model, however - until you get an assault rifle you'll be dying a lot. Quicksave quicksave! (Personally I think that just rather adds to the atmosphere.)

Just play the original: once with STALKER Complete and the Arsenal mod (I think they're compatible?) to get the original feel, and then again with Oblivion Lost to get the expanded crazy feel.

Dragon Age is apparently good.

[stuart133]

Red alert 3??? I think it's pretty fun, and on easy there is very little strategy.

[General Battuta]

Mmm...I dunno, it didn't really live up to Command and Conquer 3, or its predecessors.

[Rodo]

Get Deadspace, I've played it on easy, medium and currently on hard... It's an addictive game. (once you get around the thought that dying in game does not imply any physical harm on you)

[CP5670]

Oh, I agree, Clear Sky sucks. The consensus amongst reviewers is that Shadow of Chernobyl was a lot better. You will have to get used to the realistic ballistics model, however - until you get an assault rifle you'll be dying a lot. Quicksave quicksave! (Personally I think that just rather adds to the atmosphere.)

Just play the original: once with STALKER Complete and the Arsenal mod (I think they're compatible?) to get the original feel, and then again with Oblivion Lost to get the expanded crazy feel.

I like FPSs with a high difficulty, but it needs to be under the player's control. In Clear Sky, the enemy behavior is very erratic and I was often dying in rather arbitrary ways. Your guy is slow and weak and the game seems like it's meant to be played stealthily, but enemies often see you from miles away and hit you with perfect accuracy, even at night. I got an AR near the beginning, but have very little ammo for it.

If the original game is better, I might try that at some point.

[General Battuta]

The original game feels that way towards the start, but as soon as you get going (or with the Arsenal mod installed, which gives you an accurate but not overpowered weapon at the start), you'll get into it.

There is no question that the original is better. I don't know anybody who liked Clear Sky.

[Demitri]

Played both Stalker and Clear Sky and have to say preferred Stalker by some distance. Clear Sky just didn't feel right, a bit to disjointed and didn't really make all that much sense, at least that's what i thought when i played through it. There were some elements of that in the original game as well but not to anywhere near the same degree. Oblivion Lost mod is pretty damn good to btw

[Thaeris]

Mount & Blade.

http://www.taleworlds.com/

Do it. Just do it.  And, don't buy it on Steam. That way you don't have to be connected to play it.

Basically, you combine an open-world RPG with Half-Life-like physics... and swords, axes, crossbows, and most any other thing medieval. Although you "level up," so-to-say (which increases the proficiency at which your character does things), it's entirely skill-based. And it's modable. Furthermore, it's by an independent developer.

The only downside is that the licence still costs $30 USD. Still, that's not too bad, and indi developers deserve their due. If I had (a.) the funds to buy it, I'd do so, and (b.) if my computer wasn't eaten alive by Vista, I'd also buy it. Seeing as you don't seem to have those problems, at least try it. The demo is basically a "limited" version of the full game, and lets you do everything therein for 30 game days or until you reach level 7. Whatever comes first. 

[mxlm]

The only downside is that the licence still costs $30 USD.

I got it for $20 off amazon.

*shrug*

Also, what Thaeris doesn't tell you is that the battles are fairly large, at least by the standards of open world RPGs. Think scores of combatants on each side.

[NGTM-1R]

Everything I've heard about Dragon Age suggests it's good.

Plus, Claudia Black as snarky mage rogue type.

[Herra Tohtori]

IL-2 Sturmovik 1946. Even if the new Storm of War: Battle of Britain were right behind the corner (like it's been for a few years) I would still recommend IL-2 1946 simply for the huge amount of stuff you have available in it, both the original content (and it's about to get a new patch, 4.09) and mods, making it the best WW2 flight sim available. Either get it off GOG or find a shelf copy, they should be pretty cheap by now if you can find one.

That is, if you have interest in combat flight sims. You'll need a joystick for it, too.

[Thaeris]

If you like flight sims and also have aspirations for engineering, look into X-Plane.

If you do get it, get it directly from X-Plane.com

As far as freeware goes, there's also Flight Gear (never tried it) and Orbiter (surprised you didn't mention that either, Herra  ... I've not tried that yet, either, by the way...). I believe Target Ware is an open source, multiplayer, combat sim. It should be a free download also; also, I've not tried that. I am only one fellow...

[Herra Tohtori]

Well, Orbiter is definitely NOT a game.

Also, in my quest to hook people to IL-2, allow me to demonstrate the visual splendor this ten years old game has to offer:

Epic Fail Guy is cruising above a pleasant Pacific island on his personal XP-86 Sabre jet.


...while the crews on board those cargo ships slowly suffocate from jealousy.


It's afternoon, about 5 pm, and the sun is reflecting from the waves that hit the beach.


Since Epic Fail Guy likes to DIVE DIVE DIVE, he does just that.


...and delivers screenshots in more than one field of view.


It's not exactly Crysis or Far Cry 2, but to be honest, it doesn't need to be to look pretty damn awesome anyway.


Of course, Epic Fail Guy attracts the attention of a foreign superpower, in the form of a MiG-15.



How does the story end? Does Epic Fail Guy deliver an Epic Delivery of Vengeance in form of .50-cal rounds to the hostile MiG? Will it even matter since those things are allegedly made of cast iron? That is for me to know and you to find out - if you get IL-2 1946 and a few little mods...


Oh by the way, happy 5th of November. Remember remember...

[Thaeris]

Still the fourth here. We can discuss explosions in two hours. 

[Ransom]

Dragon Age is wonderful.